The Geography Blog focusing on all things geography: human, physical, technical, space, news, and geopolitics. Also known as Geographic Travels with Catholicgauze!
Written by a former National Geographic employee who also proudly served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Sunday, January 08, 2006

Traffic Jam in North Korea

Glorious Leader Kim Il-Sung (with his son Kim Jong-il holding the position until he comes back from death) runs a clean and glorious country without fear of AIDS, pollution, or freedom for anyone.

The capital city of Pyongyang is limited to loyal party members of the upper class. Only upper class party members can afford cars and then only a few can actually get a car. This is noticeable by looking at a Digital Globe image of a "traffic jam" on the city streets. Notice all five or so cars on the streets. By using other satellite photos or Google Earth one can see a vast network of roads in Pyongyang but no body to drive them.

2 comments:

Scott
said...

One quick note: it is not that only upper party members can afford cars it is that only upper tier party members get cars.

The cars are specifically given out according to office. For example Foreign Affairs big-wigs may drive blue cars, Military big-wigs may drive white cars, Korean Worker's Party officials all drive red cars etc.

This means that a guard manning a checkpoint can tell a great deal about who is coming into a secure building by just observing an official's car.

The exception are "216" cars, cars under the control of Kim Jong-Il or his staff (the "Dear Leader"'s birthday is Feb. 16 and all these cars thus all have "216" in the license plate).